Refrigerating apparatus



Oct. 15, 1935. H. B. HULL REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 50, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l HIS oct. 15, 1935. H3 B HULL 2,017,152

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 50, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hl: Sneeuw/17,5.

Get. 15, 1935.

H.B.HULL

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS l Filed Jan..50, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented @et l5, i935 una stares EM'MSZ REFRHGIERATING APPARATUS Harry B. Hull, Dayton, Unio, assigner to Generali Motors Corporation, Dayton, illmio, a corporal= tion of Delaware This invention relates generally to refrigerating apparatus and specifically to mechanical refrigerators and the arrangement of the refrigerating apparatus therein.

In the production of refrigerating apparatus oi the unitary removable type it has been customary to mount the evaporator of a closed ref-rigeratlng system on one side of an insulated Wall or base and to mount the motor-compressor and condenser of the system on the opposite side of the Wall or base. Generally a refrigerating apparatus of this construction is installed in or on a refrigerator cabinet having an opening in a stationary Wall of the food storage compartment thereof, in such manner that the wall or base carrying the elements of the refrigerating system fits in and closes the opening, and positions the cooling unit Within the food storage compartment of the refrigerator cabinet. Such a construction requires an opening in the refrigerator wall structure other than the usual opening permitting access thereto. The provision of an opening in addition to the' usual door opening in walls of a food storage compartment of a refrigerator cabinet greatly increases the cost ofmanufacturing the cabinet. This cost is increased because of the difficulty experienced in properly coating or covering the food storage compartment lining member with porcelain or other substance about the edges of the opening therein. Usually a frame is provided in the insulated compartment wall to surround the opening therein for supporting the unitary removable structure, and this frame also adds to the manufacturing costs of such cabinet. The opening itself and also the lclosure member carrying the refrigerating -apparatus are ordinarily sealed against heat leakage and such sealing is diflicult, and increases the cost of manufacturing the refrigerator cabinet. Therefore the above described construction of a compact unitary refrlgerating system which can be bodily removed froma refrigerator cabinet as a. unit,` does not lend itself to the construction of a low cost cabinet. Y

In orderto eliminate the opening in the food storage compartment wall, in addition to the usual door opening aiording access4 to the compartment, it has been proposed to mount the entire refrigerating system on the door which closes the opening providing access to the food storage compartment of the refrigerator cabinet. This proposed construction has not been entirely satisfactory because of certain structural disadvan.

ltages and ineiliciencies in the operation and use of such apparatus. For example, a structure wherein the entire refrigerating system is mounted on the pivoted door, which aords access to the food compartment, the weight of the elements of the system eventually causes the door to become warped and to get out of alignment 5 with the door opening, thus rendering the door ineective for properly sealing the opening. In addition, force employed in closing the door causes loosening of certain elements of the refrigerating system from their support on the door. 10 Another and probably the major disadvantage of a structure wherein the entire refrigerating system is mounted on a pivoted door is that each .and every time the food storage compartment door is opened the evaporator of the refrigerat- 15 ing system, mounted on the inner portion of the door and normally disposed Within the food com# -partment, is moved exteriorly of the food compartment and exposed to warm air Within the room when the door is opened. The periodic ex- 20 posure of the evaporator to air exteriorly of the food compartment obviously results in a loss in eiiiciency of the refrgerating system and causes undue strain and wear on the apparatus due to the apparatus operating over long periods of time 25 to maintain the evaporator and consequently the food storage compartment at a predetermined low temperature.

My invention eliminates the objections to both of the above described prior devices, while at the 30 same time utilizes the advantages of both by the provision of a unitary removable refrigerating apparatus carrie'dentirely by a removable wall portion part of which removable wall portion constitutes the usual the interior of the refrigerator cabinet. By such a construction the advantages of a single opening in the cabinet walls without the disadvantages of continually moving the apparatus with each movement of the cabinet door are employed.

An object of the present invention ls to provide a refrigerating apparatus including a cabinet having a closed refrigerating system of the door permitting access to 35 unitary structure type, can be constructed at a minimum cost.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 discloses a refrigerator cabinet having the present invention embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partly in section and partly in elevation of the refrigerator cabinet taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the re frigerator cabinet taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. A3 showing a modification of the invention; and

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the modiication shown in Fig. 4 with the food compartment access door of the cabinet in open position.

Referring to the drawings, for the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in Fig. 1 thereof a refrigerator cabinet generally designated by the numeral I0. 'Ihe refrigerator cabinet IIJ includes a plurality of stationary vertical and horizontal insulated walls II forming the imperforate top, bottom, back and.sides of a food compartment I2. 'I'he food compartment I2 is provided with a single access opening I3 in the front of the cabinet III. I provide means for closing the single opening I3, leading to the food storage compartment I2, and this means is in the form of two portions I4 and I5. The closing means for the single opening I3, comprising the portions I4 and I5, is adapted to be removed or detached from the cabinet. The portion I4 of the closing means, for the opening I3, is in the form of a door pivotally mounted upon the cabinet I0, which door provides access Yto the compartment I2. The other portion I5 of the closing means for the single opening I3 comprises an insulated wall portion rmly attached to the cabinet II) by screws, bolts or any other suitable removable means I6 and is therefore detachably mounted upon the cabinet. 'The door I4 providing access to the food compartment I2 may, if desired, be pivotally carried by the firmly attached but removable portion I5 of the closure means. In either event the removable wall member I5 is oset at its edge adjacent the door I4 so as to be flush with the front surface of the cabinet IIJ to permit engagement of and sealing of the door thereto. 'I'he door I4 if pivotally mounted to the cabinet or to the wall member I5 by hines may be removed or detached if desired or if required, by removing the bolt which holds the parts of the hinge together.

The wall portion I5 of the closing means for the single opening I3, leading to the compartment I2, has a complete closed refrigerating sys-- tem associated therewith or carried thereby. The refrigerating system includes an enclosed motorcompressor I1 and a combined condenserreceiver I8 mounted on the exterior of the portion I5. The combined condenser-receiver I8 may be secured to the wall member I5 by bolts or screws I6a.. An evaporator I9 is disposed within the food storage compartment I2 and is secured to the inner surface of the portion or member I5 by bolts or screws 2|. A liquid refrigerant pipe 22 extends from the lower portion of the combined condenser and receiver I8 and extendsthrough the member I5, and is connected with passages formed in walls of the evaporator I9. It is to be understood that the evaporator I9 may be of any suitable or conventional form as far as the present invention is concerned. A restriotor or expansion valve 23 ofY any conventional design may be inserted in the refrigerant line 22 for controlling or restrict- 5 ing ow of liquid refrigerant to the evaporator, I9. A gaseous refrigerant pipe 24 extends from an outlet provided in the evaporator through the wall member I5 and connects with the suction side of the compressor II. The compressor I'I 10 has a pipe 25 extending therefrom and connected to the upper portion of the condenser I8 for directing compressed refrigerant under pressure to the condenser. Condenser I8 may be of any' suitable form and is preferably constructed 'of sheet metal portions having certain parts thereof spaced apart and certain other parts thereof secured together to form a plurality of refrigerant passages therebetween. The combined sheet metal condenser and receiver I8 has 20 the portion thereof provided with refrigerant passages, spaced from the member I5 to provide a Vertical flue or air passage 26. The condenser being constructed and attached to the member I5 to provide the iiue 26, thus causes a natural 25 thermal syphon circulation of air in the flue 26 due to heat dissipating from the condenser I8. This circulation of air in flue 26 augments cool ing of refrigerant circulated to or contained in the condenser. The motor-compressor II is car- 30 ried by the condenser I8 and is mounted thereon in any suitable manner such as by rubber mounting blocks 21 placed adjacent the edge of an aperture 28 provided in the condenser I8. The temperature of the cooling unit may be con- 35 trolled in any suitable manner. In the present disclosure a thermostat 3l is shown as being connected by a pipe 32 to a control switch 33. It is to be understood that the control switch 33 and the thermostat 3l may be of any con- 40 ventional design and that the switch has suitable electrical connections (not shown) with the motor of the motor-compressor unit I1. The switch 33controls the opening and closing of an electrical supply circuit (not shown) leading to 45 the motor-compressor I'I for controlling operations of the motor in response to temperatures produced by the evaporator. As previously stated the evaporator I9 may be of any conventional or suitable form and may include ice trays 50 35 supported by shelves 36 located within Y he connes of the evaporator. In the present disclosure the 'shelves 36 are disposed at an angle relative to the cooling unit I9 in order to facilitate removal of the trays 35 from the cooling 55 unit when the door I4 providing access to the food compartment I2 is opened. If desired the tray supporting shelves 36 may be of the refrig- @rated shelf type .to augment freezing of substance contained in the trays 35. 60

In Fig. 4 of the drawings I have shown a modified structure in which the cooling unit or evaporator I9 is pivotally or swingably supported upon the member I5 by brackets 38. In this modified showing the refrigerant pipe lines 22 and 23 may 65 be of a flexible construction or may be provided with a loop or loops 39 for permitting the cooling unit or evaporator I9 to be extended or .swung away from and out of alignment with the member I5. In this modified showing of the invention the cooling .unit or evaporator I9 is disposed directly in back of the food compartment access door I4, when the cooling unit is properly positioned within the food storage compartment. It is to be understood that the extended longitudinally unit, after same is moved away from member;

i and into the desired position. The added supporting means for the cooling unit may be desirable in the case of providing the cooling unit with a, great number of ice trays so that the weight ofthe evaporator, when the trays are filled with a substance to be congealed or frozen, will not be carried by the arms or brackets 38. Since my invention is directed to a unitary removable closed refrigerating system of a compact nature i have shown in dot-,dash lines in Fig. 4 of the drawings the evaporator i9 moved into a position adjacent the member i5 in which means including a portion firmly attached to the position the unitary refrigerating system is rendered compact for placing the same in a crate for shipment. In this modied showing of the invention the ice tray shelves 36 are preferably with the evaporator is so as to be readily accessible at the front of the cooling unit when the food storage compartment access door ifi is opened.

In order to detach the firmly attached portion or member i of the closing means, for the singie opening i3 of the cabinet it, the bolts or screws i@ which enter the front wall of the cabinet are loosened and removed from the cabinet The bolts or screws ita, which secured the condenser-receiver it to the member i5, are of course, left intact upon removal of screws or bolts i6. The door it is then swung open and the member iii carrying the entire closed refrigerating system may be bodily removed from the cabinet il) as a unit. It is obvious that unskilled WorkmenA can readily and quickly detach or remove the refrigerating system from the cabinet and that they may also be employed to install another complete refrigerating system in the cabinet.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided a closed refrigerating system of a unitary removable type and have associated the system with a refrigerator cabinet in an improved manner whereby a single opening only needbe provided for access to the food storage compartment of the cabinet and whereby the cabinet itself supports the unitary structure. My invention therefore eliminates difculties heretofore encountered in the manufacture of refrigerator cabinets, adapted to receive a removable unitary refrigerating apparatus, and permits of the manufacture of such cabinets at a minimum of cost. My invention furthermore permits the cabinet of the refrigerating apparatus to be permanently builtin place and surrounded on all sides but the front thereof, by cupboards, walls or the like,

and to associate the refrigerating mechanism with the cabinet in such manner that the mechanism may be bodily removed from the cabinet outwardly therefrom at the front thereof.

While the forms of embodiments of the inven. tion as herein disclosed, constitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a refrigerator cabinet including a plurality of stationary walls forming a food storage compartment, said cabinet having a single opening leading to said compartment, removable means closing the opening in said cabinet, said means including a portion firmly attached to the 5 cabinet and another movably mounted portion forming a door providing access to said compartment, a closed refrigerating system associated with said firmly attached portion of said means and including a cooling element disposed Within said food storage compartment and a refrigerant liquefying unit disposed exteriorly of said compartment, and said refrigerating system and said first named portion of said means being removable from said cabinet as a unit 2. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a refrigerator cabinet including a plu-- rality of stationary walls forming a food storage compartment, said cabinet having a single opening leading to said compartment, removable means closing the opening in said cabinet, said 'cabinet and another movably mounted portion forming a door providing access to said compartment, a'closed refrigerating system mounted on said firmly attached portion of said means and including a cooling element disposed within said food storage compartment and a motor-compressor and condenser disposed exteriorly of said compartment, and said refrigerating system and said first named portion of said means being removable from said cabinet as a unit.

3. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a refrigerator cabinet including a plurality of stationary imperforate walls forming the top, bottom, back and two sides of a food storage compartment, the front of said compartment having an opening therein, removable means closing the opening in said food storage compartment, said means including a portion firmly attached to 40 said cabinet and another pivotally mounted portion forming a door providing access to said compartment, a closed refrigerating system associated with said firmly attached portion of said means and including a cooling element disposed within 45 said food storage compartment and a refrigerant liquefying unit disposed exteriorly of said compartment, and said refrigerating system and said first named portion of said means being removable from said cabinet as a unit.

4. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in bmbination, a refrigerator cabinet including a plurality of stationary imperforate walls forming the top, bottom, back and two sides of a food storage compartment, the front of said compartment having an opening therein, removable means closing the opening in said food storage compartment, said means including a portion rmly attached to said cabinet and another pivotally mounted portion forming a door providing 60 access to said compartment, a closed refrigerating system mounted on said firmly attached portion of said means and including a cooling element disposedwithin said food storage compartment and a motor-compressor and condenser G5 disposed exteriorly of said compartment, and seid refrigerating system and said first named portion of said means being removable from said cabinet as a unit.

5. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in com- 70 bination, a refrigerator cabinet including a plurality of stationary walls forming a food storage compartment, said compartment having a single tion of the food compartment opening, a door pivotally mounted to said cabinet providing access to said compartment, said door engaging the cabinet about a portion of the food compartment opening and engaging said firmly attached member to seal said compartment from air interiorly thereof, a closed refrigerating system mounted on said firmly attached member and including a cooling element disposed Within said food storage compartment and a motor-compressor and condenser disposed exteriorly of said compartment, and said refrigerating system and said firmly attached member being removable from said cabinet as a unit.

6. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a refrigerator cabinet including a plurality of stationary imperforate Walls forming the top, bottom, back and two sides of a food storage compartment having an opening therein, a removable member firmly attached to said cabinet and closing a portion of the food compartment opening., a door pivotally mounted to said cabinet providing access to said compartment, said door engaging the cabinet about a portion of the food compartment opening and engaging said firmly attached member to seal said compartment from air exteriorly thereof, a closed refrigerating system mounted on said firmly attached member and including a cooling element disposed within said food storage compartment and a motor-compressor and a condenser disposed exteriorly of said compartment, and said refrigerating system and said firmly attached member being removable from said cabinet as a unit.

7. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a refrigerator cabinet including a plurality of stationary walls forming a food storage compartment, said cabinet having a single opening leading to said compartment, removable means closing the opening'in said cabinet, said means including a portion firmly attached to the cabinet and another movably mounted portion forming a door providing access to said compartment, a closed refrigerating system associated with said firmly attached portion of said means, said refrigerating system including a cooling element carried by said first named portion of said means, said cooling element being disposed within said food storage compartment and positioned directly in front of said compartment access door, and said refrigerating system and said first named portion of said means being removable from said cabinet as a unit.

8. Refrigerating .apparatus comprising in combination, a refrigerator cabinet including a plurality of stationary Walls forming a food storage compartment, said cabinet having a single opening leading to said compartment, removable means closing the opening in said cabinet, said means including a portion firmly attached to the cabinet and another movably mounted portion forming a door providing access to said compartment, a closed refrigerating system associated with said firmly attached portion of said means, said refrigerating system including a cooling element swingably carried by said first named portion of said means, said cooling element being disposed within said food storage compartment and positioned directly in front of said compartment access door and movable adjacent said rst named portion of said means, and said refrigerating system and said first named portion of said means being removable from said cabinet as a unit. 5

9. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet having a single access opening, a removable wall structure closing said single access opening of said cabinet, said wall structure comprising a stationary portion and a movable portion, said movable 10 firmly attached to said cabinet and a pivotally mounted portion, said pivotally mounted portion of said removable wall structure constituting the usual door affording access to s'aid compartment,

and refrigerating apparatus carried by said firm- 25 ly attached portion of said removable wall structure.

11. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a refrigerator cabinet including a plurality of stationary walls forming a food stor- 30 age compartment, said cabinet having a single opening leading to said compartment, removable means closing the opening in said cabinet, said means including a portion firmly attached to the cabinet and another movably mounted portion 35 forming a. door providing access t said compartment, a closed refrigerating system associated with said firmly attached portion of said means, said refrigerating system including a cooling element carried by said first named portion of said means and disposed within said food compartment, said cooling element being movable at will away from and to a position adjacent to said first named portion of said means, and said refrigerating system and said first named portion of said means being removable from said cabinet as a unit.

12. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet having 'an access opening, a removable wall structure closing said access opening of said cabinet, said wall structure comprising a stationary portion and a movable portion, said movable portion of said removable wall structure constituting the usual door permitting access to said cabinet, and refrigerating apparatus carried by said stationary portion of said removable wall structure. y

13. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet forming a food storage compartment having an access opening, a removable wall structure closing said access opening of said compartment, said wall structure comprising a portion firmly attached to said cabinet and a pivotally mounted portion, said pivotally mounted portion of said removable wall structur constituting the usual door affording access to said compartment, and refrigerating apparatus carried by said firmly attached portion of said removable wall structure.

HARRY B. HULL. 

